Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc. based in Wilton is one of 16 dog food brands cited by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible cause of canine congestive heart failure.
Blue Buffalo, which was bought by General Mills in February 2018 for $8 billion, has not issued a public response to the FDA report.
The FDA did not call for any of the dog foods to be recalled, nor did it warn dog owners to avoid the brands, but instead asked dog owners to “cooperate with their veterinarians, who are able to consult with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. , to obtain the most appropriate dietary advice.”
In July 2018, the FDA began investigating whether canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) may be linked to dogs eating certain pet foods, including many labeled “grain-free” and in which the main ingredients contain a high proportion of peas, lentils, etc. legume seeds and/or potatoes.
Although the FDA acknowledged in a statement that “the potential relationship between diet and DCM in dogs is a complex scientific issue that may involve many factors,” it nevertheless noted that many of the 524 cases of DCM reported to the agency include brands of dog food. containing this ingredient formulation.
The FDA said it received 31 reports of DCM involving dogs fed the Blue Buffalo brand, which was the sixth-highest number of DCM-related deaths among the 16 brands investigated.
In addition to Blue Buffalo, the brands cited by the FDA are Acana, California Natural, Earthborn Holistic, 4Health, Fromm, Merrick, Nature’s Domain, Nature’s Variety, Natural Balance, NutriSource, Nutro, Orijen, Rachael Ray Nutrish, Taste of the Wild and Zignature.
